Schematic representation of MRNA expression, T cell immune activation, and neutralizing antibody formation induced by polymers synthesized from a variety of monomers. Credit:Postech
The research team at Postech has developed a biodegradable polymer-based delivery system that efficiently transports mRNA. This study was recently published in Biomaterials.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, global interest in mRNA vaccines has skyrocketed. Among existing delivery methods, lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are widely used for their high efficiency. However, LNPs have serious drawbacks. When injected, it can accumulate in the liver, causing toxicity or an excessive immune response.
To address this issue, the Postech researchers investigated biodegradable polymer polyβ-aminoesters (PBAEs) as an alternative. Pbae is already used for the delivery of siRNA, DNA, and mRNA and is safely degraded in the body. In this study, the team synthesized 55 different PBAE polymers and used them to design new polymer nanoparticles (PNPs) for mRNA delivery.
Experimental results demonstrated that the newly developed polymer exhibited higher mRNA delivery efficiency compared to traditional LNPs. Furthermore, mRNA expression lasted up to 4 weeks. This is less important than the typical 5-day LNP expression period. In particular, the polymer ensured mRNA expression only at the injection site, and there was no detectable expression in the liver, eliminating toxicity concerns.
Furthermore, in immune response experiments, the polymer effectively induces T-cell activity and demonstrated performance comparable to LNPs in generating neutralizing antibodies against COVID-19 virus. These findings highlight the potential for polymer-based delivery systems as safer and more efficient alternatives for next-generation mRNA vaccines and gene therapy.
Professor John Kim said, “The expression period of existing LNP-based delivery systems is short and their use for therapeutic applications is limited. However, the polymer delivery system developed by our team has been developed to produce mRNA expression for one month. Extend it up to and it is appropriately suitable for therapeutic mRNA delivery.
“This study is important as it introduces new polymeric materials that could serve as an alternative to LNPs.
The team was led by Professor John Kim from the Ministry of Chemistry at Postech, in collaboration with the Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
Details: Hong Lyun Kim et al, Poly(β-Amino Ester) Polymer Library with Monomer Variations for MRNA Delivery, Biomaterials (2024). doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2024.122896
Provided by Pohang University of Science and Technology
Citation: Next-generation mRNA vaccine delivery system uses biodegradable polymers (2025, February 5th) obtained from https://phys.org/2025-02 from February 5th, 2025.
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